It’s the Redbirds and Red Sox

The Cardinals beat the Astros tonight, 5-2, to advance to the World Series. If not for the historic comeback of the Red Sox, this series would have been just as noteworthy for its drama and excellent level of play.

Case in point: the spectacular catch by Jim Edmonds in the second inning, robbing the Astros of two runs and a three-run lead. How important was that catch? Well, if Ausmus’ smash had fallen in for a double, the Astros would have had a .804 Win Expectancy. Instead, the ball wound up in Edmonds’ glove and the Astros wound up with a mere .606 Win Expectancy. That’s a swing of .198.

That was the second-biggest play of the game. The biggest play of the game, as you can imagine, was Scott Rolen’s two-run home run in the sixth inning. That lifted the Cards’ WE from .556 to .832, for a WE play of .276. That’s a big play.

Congratulations to Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and all the Cardinals for a well-deserved trip to the Fall Classic. And let’s all hope Steve Lyons never mentions the bunt again!